[PGT] Bad final 40 sinks Flames

[Dion]

And Turris is still looking for the license plate of that bus!

https://twitter.com/user/status/1368414795603447810

[AC]

Originally Posted by Stanley

Quite honest if Backs doesn’t try to bat the puck out of the air on their 2nd goal that sh*t was going straight into Marky’s glove and we’d all be talking about his highlight reel game saving glove save.

Sure looked like it in slow-mo

I thought so too. Bad read by Backlund initially, but he came back to try and block the shot only to tip it past Markstrom who I think had the save otherwise.

Bad lucky by Lindholm on the 1st goal too having that puck go through his legs like that. He blocks that 99/100 times.

[Manhattanboy]

Ya I found Sutter’s comments strange when referring to our centre depth. Unless I misunderstood.

[soulchoice]

Originally Posted by Dajazz

I think the Johnny and Monahan saga is over. Sutter must see it too.

Johnny - Lindholm - Dube
Tkachuk - Monahan - ...........
Lucic - Backlund - Mangiapane
Plug- Plug - Plug

Johnny and Monahan need to be carried 5v5 right now and this team needs three lines that can play even strength. Zone entries are an issue, but there are some bright spots.

The only problem I see with this lineup, is that second line is going to be very slow with those two. Not only that, but neither one of those two seem to be able to consistently be the puck carrier to gain the zone.

[bubbsy]

Originally Posted by badradio

Bennett is not the answer for the first line... I think you have to put Lindholm there and bump Ryan or Backlund to the 2nd line Center until you can find a RW... the answer isn’t Leivo or Simon either... I don’t know where the answer is unless it’s a trade or ufa pickup...

I agree. Heck, having the 3rd line of lucic/Bennett/Dubé and keeping the 3m line together seems like a no brainer at this point.

The point of moving lindholm to C was to redistribute some skill to have two high end offensive lines. Instead , we basically have 2 good 3rd lines with strong defensive Cs.

[djsFlames]

Originally Posted by MonaTone

The Detroit - Maantha relationship is rumoured to be soured..... I would give up lot for that level of player.

The most frustrating aspect of this team is they are always seemingly on the cusp and just missing 1 thing, we have a goalie and the depth we need a 'f-you I want to win player'

An 'F you I want to win' player that can finish.

Monahan isn't producing anywhere near a 30 goal clip like we've been accustomed to, so that puts us down a finisher that we previously had there.

[AC]

Originally Posted by MonaTone

The Detroit - Maantha relationship is rumoured to be soured..... I would give up lot for that level of player.

The most frustrating aspect of this team is they are always seemingly on the cusp and just missing 1 thing, we have a goalie and the depth we need a 'f-you I want to win player'

Yeah, Mantha seems like a very real option.

He's 26, and a big body pure sniper, 6'5" and 234 lbs.
Left shot, but plays RW.

Signed for 3 more years at $5.7M which is tough to fit depending on what we'd be trading.

[Ferarri]

Originally Posted by OldSam

I thought their good shifts were really good and the poorer shifts less terrible than before. I did not expect a win tonight but it was nice to see more engagement at least. Can't wait for Darryl to get here and start the turnaround.

I share your optimism and am excited to see what Darryl can do. Unfortunately I think it’s becoming evident that this team just isn’t very good.

[GioforPM]

Mangiapane good. Lucic good except on the Yamamoto goal. Tanev good. Ritchie good. Ryan and Nordstrom were fine. I thought Gio was OK. Backlund had the fumbles. Matthew started out well, but at the end of the day wasn’t impactful. Dube just “there”. Same with Lindholm. First line - blah.

Here’s the dilemma. Leivo is way better than Sam in his own zone. Sam is better (though not exactly an artist) in the offensive zone. I’m pretty sure the Sam benching has been over lazy D.

[AustinL_NHL]

Originally Posted by Bend it like Bourgeois

Why would Sutter change that?

The flames were the better team by any opinion most of the first and part of the second until the oilers stacked their top line and double shifted them.

Against Tampa the chart would look the same save one blue dot and one red one.

Coming off 3 losses the oilers gave *everything* and still needed a break to go their way. It did. I hate them. But if the flames play exactly like that every night they are a top 2 seed in the playoffs and handle the oilers just fine in a seven game series.

It was a lot of the same old for the Flames, minus the fact they played a lot more physical and at least didn't get dominated for multiple periods.

They absolutely dominated the first 15 minutes of the game (so much so that they led the game in HDCF 10-5 despite only generating 1 HDCF in the final 40), then downgraded to so-so hockey for the next 30 minutes, and then finally got dominated for the last 15 minutes.

You don't want to get worse as the game goes on. That's a bad strategy.

Sutter will coach the Flames into being a full 60 minute team. Does that mean they'll play every single period/game like they did in the first period? No. But he won't allow for their game to consistently drop off as the game goes on like we saw tonight and have seen for the majority of the season.

The first period was brilliant. The game overall was fairly good and, analytically speaking, very good. But the final 40 minutes left much to be desired.

[Doctorfever]

I thought Johnny sort of disappeared when the game got really physical. Obviously I don’t expect him to be laying the body on people, but how many time did he one hand swat at the puck while stopping in order to not be hit.
He doesn’t seem interested in going to the hard areas like eat bread. Exactly why his game drops off in the payoffs. Hopefully the coach can find a way to utilize his great skill set, if not, Johnny isn’t going to be a Flame next year.

[djsFlames]

Darryl sparking Gaudreau to his former puck possessing dominance will be a key to seeing the club "level up".

Without him at that level elevating the guys he plays with, we're in an uphill battle offensively.

[MonaTone]

Originally Posted by djsFlames

An 'F you I want to win' player that can finish.

Monahan isn't producing anywhere near a 30 goal clip like we've been accustomed to, so that puts us down a finisher that we previously had there.

That is a very important qualifier I missed.

[MacFlame]

Originally Posted by bubbsy

I am going to be slammed on cp for this but but the narrative this year is that lindholm is the top c on the team. Sutter talked about him in his presser (no mention of 23 or 13 oddly enough). Lindholm doesn’t play like a top C either.

Sutter repeatedly stated “strength” down the middle yesterday, and monahan, lindholm and backlund basically all laid an egg tonight.

I think lindholm is the best centre they have, but he’s a very good #2. I don’t see him as a #1 right now, maybe he turns into that under sutter, I don’t know. I don’t think Backlund had a terrible game tonight. I thought he was adequate.
I thought that there were two goals that could have been prevented tonight if lindholm took the body...but I’m probably just being picky and would probably change my tune if I rewatched it.

Monahans problem is different than the other two imo...he’s being counted on to be a driving force offensively for this team...but he is just so ineffective on the forecheck that it hurts his line considerably, particularly because Johnny isnt going to be that player either. The problem with monahan is that you can’t put him anywhere else in the lineup because the other two centres are better defensively and physically than him. If he’s not putting up points, he really isn’t contributing a whole lot.

[bubbsy]

Originally Posted by Doctorfever

I thought Johnny sort of disappeared when the game got really physical. Obviously I don’t expect him to be laying the body on people, but how many time did he one hand swat at the puck while stopping in order to not be hit.
He doesn’t seem interested in going to the hard areas like eat bread. Exactly why his game drops off in the payoffs. Hopefully the coach can find a way to utilize his great skill set, if not, Johnny isn’t going to be a Flame next year.

I get he’s small but he refuses to engage at all other than a one handed swipe to the puck.

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by Manhattanboy

Ya I found Sutter’s comments strange when referring to our centre depth. Unless I misunderstood.

Pumping up the players.

TBF, it’s an odd mix - with Ryan in there are four good Cs. Just not any really top level centres. And if you play Lindholm at RW, there are only 3.

[Mathgod]

The team was fine up to the 2-1 goal, but kind of got overwhelmed from that point on.

Tonight is a textbook illustration of why it's such a big advantage to have 2 elite forwards on your roster.

[Jiri Hrdina]

Originally Posted by AC

Yeah, Mantha seems like a very real option.

He's 26, and a big body pure sniper, 6'5" and 234 lbs.
Left shot, but plays RW.

Signed for 3 more years at $5.7M which is tough to fit depending on what we'd be trading.

Problem with Mantha is his GAF meter is also not always great

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by bubbsy

I get he’s small but he refuses to engage at all other than a one handed swipe to the puck.

And when he connects and sends it deep, he backs away for his line change - free exit for the Oilers.

[djsFlames]

I'll just say that I look forward to the inevitable cliff Smith will drop off of when it matters.

That team deserves to be hampered by their inadequacies that a lottery didn't save them from to kingdom come.